SAFETY • PRIVACY • CHILD-BURDEN BOUNDARIES
These boundaries keep the family-help lane useful: urgent support first, professional obligations respected, no private case intake, no child-as-messenger pressure, and no public custody-judgment shortcut.
Use first
Call 911 for emergencies. Call or text 988 for crisis support. In Maine, 211 can help route food, housing, health, transportation, and local support. For legal questions, court deadlines, abuse, coercive control, stalking, threats, medical concerns, or child-safety concerns, use qualified professional and official channels.
Official doorsCrisis cardDo not send
Do not send child names, private allegations, medical details, sealed records, confidential court materials, school records, therapy notes, screenshots, or private family narratives for publication or public review. Use these pages privately, on paper, or with the professionals already responsible for the matter.
Public comment policyAbuse and coercive control
If fear, threats, intimidation, stalking, coercive control, or abuse may be present, do not rely on generalized co-parenting or communication tools. Safer advice may require local advocates, legal help, or trained professionals.
Children
Do not ask a child to deliver messages, prove adult facts, collect documents, repeat private accusations, or choose sides. The child-facing materials focus on feelings, routines, literacy, and trusted adults.
Professionals
Teachers, clinicians, childcare providers, coaches, advocates, attorneys, GALs, and mediators should follow their own confidentiality, reporting, licensing, court-order, and safety obligations.
Safe-use pattern
Pick one practical goal: organize dates, prepare a school update, call a support service, or reduce a message to logistics.
Use initials or blanks on printed drafts. Do not upload or publish sensitive records. Share only through appropriate official or professional channels.
The best outcome may be one call, one appointment, one calmer update, one organized folder, or one official resource, not more conflict.
Public review boundary
Useful feedback includes suggested wording, implementation concerns, constitutional/process questions, official sources, safety concerns, and plain-language edits. Private family facts should stay out of the RFC lane.
Review RFCProvider boundary
The school/provider toolkit keeps updates factual and role-bounded. It does not ask providers to decide custody, diagnose adults, or accept a public case file.
School/provider toolkitLegal boundary
FOCaF materials help people organize questions, dates, documents, and next steps. They do not create an attorney-client relationship and do not replace advice from a qualified professional.
Safety boundary
If someone is in immediate danger, use emergency and crisis resources first. Do not use this site to submit private allegations, child names, sealed records, medical files, or confidential court materials.
Child-first boundary
Tools are designed to reduce adult confusion and pressure, not to make children document adult disputes, choose sides, or act as messengers.
